Yardbarker
x
'He’s too big to be crying!' Charles Oakley blasts Joel Embiid amid injury concerns
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Joel Embiid has a lot of fans in the basketball world. Many consider him one of the best players in the league at the moment. On the flip side, there are critics too. Some even consider him to whine a lot if things do not go his way.

One such critic happens to be New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley , who came out with an attack against the Philadelphia 76ers superstar. While speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the former Knicks rebounding star had quite a few words.

Everybody says he’s hurt. If you’re hurt, stay home and watch it on TV like everybody else is doing. I don’t want hear this, ‘I’m giving it my all.’ He’s too big to be crying. I’m sorry I said about two years ago, he could be the next Wilt Chamberlain. I don’t know. He could be the next Dunkin Donut or somebody because he just cry. Charles Oakley said

This is coming from someone who once held Joel Embiid in high regard. But now, these incidents have pushed him to have a change of heart.

Charles Oakley once thought Embiid could be the next Wilt Chamberlain. That is high praise coming from a player who used to play alongside and against some of the best players to ever play the game. But Embiid’s constant whining has taken off some of that glitter in Oakley’s eyes.

He feels that if the Philadelphia 76ers superstar can stop crying too much and focus on being better, then it would actually help their game. All that crying has been visible in this playoff series, as the reigning MVP was seen yelling at referees for not calling fouls and resorting to dirty plays out of frustration.

Joel Embiid can win over his critics by taking over the playoffs

The superstar has always had his fair share of critics. They see him as a player who runs up his numbers with free throws. However, many consider him one of the best big men to ever play the game. Having an array of moves which enable him to score from anywhere on the court and against anyone.

If Joel Embiid can use those moves to get the Philadelphia 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals, it would be enough for the criticisms to stop. After all, nothing makes things better than winning. Tonight, he did put up a triple-double, however, he was terrible from the field and almost had double-digit turnovers.

Not nice stats to have if Joel Embiid considers himself to be one of the best. He will have to pull up his socks and ensure that the noise drowns out once he leads his team deep into the playoffs.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.